Thomas Edison
New York, New York, New York
Marker Inscription
Here the Motion Picture Began: On the night of April 23, 1896, on this site in Koster & Bial's Music Hall Thomas Edison with the "Vitascope" first projected a moving picture. In commemoration of the event, this tablet is here affixed by The Motion Picture Industry, October 4, 1938
The Story
On an April night in 1896, a New York vaudeville house called Koster & Bial's Music Hall hosted something audiences had never seen: images that moved on a screen for a paying crowd. Using Thomas Edison's Vitascope projector, the program threw flickering scenes larger than life before a Broadway audience, marking the American debut of projected motion pictures. The tablet was later affixed by the motion-picture industry itself, honoring the spot where its business was, in effect, born.
Why it matters
This is a birthplace of American mass entertainment — the moment film stepped out of the peep-show cabinet and became a shared public spectacle, seeding the industry that would remake global culture.
Plan your visit
NearbyMake a day of it — museums, food, and places to stay near this marker.
Museums & culture
- 81 Leonard Gallery2.4 mi away
- Gerben Fine Art2.5 mi away
- Bureau2.6 mi away · 112 Duane Street
- Hall des Lumières2.7 mi away · 49 Chambers Street, New York, NY
- Cloud Gallery2.7 mi away
- MĒRCER LABS3.0 mi away · 21 Dey Street
Attractions
- The River Project Wetlab2.0 mi away
- FDNY Ladder 82.3 mi away · 14 North Moore Street, New York
- Dream house2.4 mi away
- Cortlandt Alley2.4 mi away
- Textile building2.4 mi away
- Chinatown2.5 mi away
Food & drink
- Maman3.4 mi away
- Sweetgreen3.4 mi away
- Semicolon Cafe3.5 mi away
- Greene Hook Bar & Kitchen3.5 mi away
- Bluestone Lane3.5 mi away
- Rumi Turkish Grill3.5 mi away
Places to stay
- Conrad2.8 mi away · 102 North End Avenue, New York
- M Social Hotel New York Downtown2.9 mi away · 55 Church Street, New York, NY
- Residence Inn New York Downtown Manhattan/World Trade Center Area3.0 mi away · 170 Broadway, New York, NY
- Holiday Inn3.1 mi away · 51 Nassau Street
- World Center Hotel3.1 mi away · 144 Washington Street, New York, NY
- Club Quarters Hotel at World Trade Center3.1 mi away · 140 Washington Street, New York, NY
Places data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Hours and details change — call ahead.
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Related people
- · Thomas Edison
Related events
- · First public projection of a motion picture with the Vitascope
Themes & tags
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